Historic Photo Exhibit

Visitors to the Moenkopi Legacy Inn & Suites can enjoy a unique photo exhibit that depicts Hopi life and agricultural practices from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. These images provide a historic glimpse into the life of the Hopi people and how some of these practices are still carried on presently. The exhibit will be on permanent display in the Conference Center.

The Moenkopi Developers Corporation (the non-profit owner of the Moenkopi Legacy Inn) commissioned Hopi Artist Leland Dennis to serve as the curator for the project. Leland is Sun Forehead clan from the village of Supawlavi, located on Second Mesa. He has been involved with significant cultural projects for the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, and The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University among others.

Special thanks to these prestigious museums for granting use of these images for public display: Braun Research Library Collection at the Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA; Sharlot Hall Museum, Prescott, AZ; the Palace of the Governors, Santa Fe, NM; the Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI; and the Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ.

The Moenkopi Developers Corporation has dedicated this photo exhibit to creating awareness of the Hopi culture and awareness of the Hopi Education Endowment Fund, the HEEF. Over the past 12 years, HEEF grants and scholarships have provided the funding for more than 275 students who have earned their Associates, Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees in a variety of fields. The impact of higher education extends beyond the student; earning a degree supports self-sufficiency, but more importantly, it inspires younger students and their communities.

The HEEF IMAGINE Grants Program also inspires community on a grassroots level. IMAGINE grant recipients implement education projects that are based in Hopi culture, language and values, therefore creating small changes that affect education at the grass-roots level while developing, training and helping our Hopi people grow to meet the needs of the community. Since 2004 the HEEF has invested more than $120,000 to fund 24 projects in the Hopi community that has served hundreds of students, some as young as three years old. Learn more about the HEEF and consider contributing to the preservation of a unique culture through support of Hopi education by visiting www.HopiEducationFund.org